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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29674020">somewhere in my heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/drunkonhall0ween/pseuds/drunkonhall0ween'>drunkonhall0ween</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Sex, Beverly Marsh Knows Everything, Bill Denbrough &amp; Beverly Marsh Are Best Friends, Blow Jobs, Bottom Eddie Kaspbrak, Canon Compliant, Drinking, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mike Hanlon Deserves Nice Things, Minor Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier &amp; Stanley Uris Are Best Friends, Richie Tozier is a Mess, Smoking, Stanley Uris Needs a Hug, Stephen King's IT References, Teenage Losers Club (IT), Top Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:15:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29674020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/drunkonhall0ween/pseuds/drunkonhall0ween</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i> I can’t believe I almost lost this,</i> he thought, and before he could stop himself, “I would do anything for you,” had slipped out of his mouth,</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi IT nation i wrote this instead of doing my homework so enjoy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Richie hated a lot of things. He hated when his lighter ran out of gas, seafood, math, the smell of lavender, strawberry milkshakes, and lots more, but he especially hated when Eddie was ignoring him.</p><p>“Eddie. Eds. Spaghetti. Eduardo. Ed-“ </p><p>“If you keep calling me those fucking nicknames that I hate, I swear I’ll never speak to you again.” Eddie snaps, with no real threat in his words. He walked quickly, attempting to put some space between him and Richie.</p><p>Richie grinned, “C’mon, as if you could survive even a week without me. So are you ever going to tell me why you’re mad at me?” He jogged to catch up with the other boy, moving to throw his arm around his shoulder, although Eddie slipped away just before he could.</p><p>“I’m mad at you because you’re annoying and because you scared the shit out of me and nearly got me killed last night when you showed up at my window.” </p><p>“Well, it’s not exactly easy to go through the front door when lovely Sonia is sleeping.” </p><p>Eddie rolls his eyes, “No shit, genius. I just don’t get why you insisted on crawling into my room at three o’clock in the morning.”</p><p>Richie pulls a joint out of his pocket, speaking while he searched for his lighter, “Isn’t it obvious? It was just another step in my plan to corrupt you, my dear Eds.” He obviously couldn’t admit that he was practically going insane at home and was desperate to talk to Eddie after a rough day. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t have share any classes this semester and Richie missed lunch thanks to his biology teacher guilting him into helping with the clean-up process after their eventful frog dissection earlier that morning.</p><p>Eddie sighed, grabbing Richie’s lighter from the pocket he had yet to dig through, handing it to him. “What’s next? You want to shotgun instead of just passing me the joint?”</p><p>Richie freezes, his brain short-circuiting at the idea of Eddie being so close to him, their lips nearly touching, as he carefully blew the smoke into his mouth. Yeah, that concept is definitely never going to leave his mind, ever. 

He attempts to recover with a forced laugh as he cups his hands around the lighter, successfully lighting the perfectly rolled joint he bummed off of Beverly. After taking a puff, he hands it to Eddie, their fingertips brushing.</p><p>As they continue to smoke and bicker, they approach the ledge of the quarry and take a seat carefully. Stan and Bill should be here soon, but Beverly and Ben are stuck doing a group project, and Mike promised to help his grandfather out with something at the farm. I

t’s the end of September, so it’s just started to get cooler in Derry, yet nobody carries a jacket with them except for Eddie. Since they can’t swim in the quarry until it starts getting warm again, they settle on smoking and hanging out here when everyone wants to get away from home.

 The sun has begun to set and frankly, the view is breathtaking. Richie almost laughs out loud at the fact that Derry, this horrific shithole of all places, looks beautiful right now. He looks over at his companion, his brain screaming <i>EddieEddieEddie,</i> as it does most of the time. </p><p>The moment Richie realized he was in love with his best friend occurred in this very spot on a warm weekday morning a few years ago, the summer after It happened. Eddie had been laughing about something, he couldn’t even remember what it was now, and he had looked over at Richie in the midst of it all and placed a gentle hand on his forearm, steadying himself and sending Richie into an immediate crisis. 

It’s not like they didn’t touch often, hell, Richie and Eddie always maintained some form of physical contact, but that morning was different. The solitude of the quarry cliff and the air surrounding them filled with sheer comfort prompted a new discussion in Richie’s mind. <i>I can’t believe I almost lost this,</i> he thought, and before he could stop himself, “I would do anything for you,” had slipped out of his mouth, he managed to suppress the second half of his statement which was, <i>because I love you,</i> and Richie almost threw himself off the cliff, prepared to stay in the water below for the rest of his life rather than deal with the embarrassment of Eddie’s rejection. 

Surprisingly, Eddie didn’t even hesitate before responding, “Me too. I mean, I would do anything for you too, Richie.” 

And that was it. No visible existential crisis. No catastrophic fight. No dreadful discussion of sexuality. Richie and Eddie were still friends, despite the fact that Richie’s brain described them as <i>RichieandEddie</i> and the way he almost ruined everything with this unwanted discovery. </p><p>“When’s your uncle showing up with your car?” Eddie asks, interrupting Richie’s thoughts, before coughing lightly into his arm.</p><p>Richie’s dad decided to buy his brother’s shitty truck off of him as an early graduation gift for his son, despite the fact that the school year had just started. Maybe Wentworth Tozier wasn’t all that bad.</p><p>“Uh, next weekend, I think. Why? You excited to go for a joyride with me?” Richie nudged Eddie with his elbow, raising his eyebrows.</p><p>Eddie laughed, “Yeah, like I have a death wish. I’m shocked you even managed to get your license. Did you pay off the examiner or something?”</p><p>“You wound me, Eds, you wound me.” Richie finished off the joint, stubbing it on the cool rock next to him which was permanently stained from the amount of cigarettes Beverly and Richie have put out in the same spot.</p><p>Bill and Stan arrive a few minutes later, discussing some chemistry thing which Richie can’t bother being interested in. “Jesus, you guys stink. How much have you two smoked?” Stan asks before making a comment about them being so faded that they’re going to end up falling into the cold water below them.</p><p>“We split a measly little joint. Nothing to worry about, Stan-the-man.” Richie answers.</p><p>The four of them hang out for a few hours, until it gets cold to the point where even Eddie is shivering, despite his coat. They walk home together, brushing shoulders, complaining about school-work, and talking about their plans for the next day. After Bill waves goodbye, turning onto his street, and Stanley hugs both of them before walking into his home, the pair are once again alone. <i>RichieandEddie.</i></p><p>Richie walks Eddie home, insisting that it’s too dangerous at this time of night for anyone to be walking alone, pairing his statement with a gruff, serious tone, avoiding the fact that he’s constantly afraid that a certain clown is going to show up again and Richie will lose everything. Eddie jokingly shoves him as he speaks, pushing him away, just for Richie to return quickly, successful in his attempt to throw an arm around Eddie’s shoulders this time. </p><p>Once they reach Eddie’s doorstep, Richie backs away, preparing to say goodbye. He’s confused when Eddie opens the door and doesn’t say anything to him and just walks into the house. After a moment and the obvious lack of Richie’s footsteps behind him, Eddie spins, “What’s wrong? Did you get too used to windows that you can’t even walk through the front door now?”</p><p>Richie laughs, relieved that Eddie wasn’t randomly mad at him, “Goddamn, you’re such a gentlemen. What a kind invite into your home, Spaghetti.”</p><p>Eddie grins, wrapping his fingers around Richie’s wrist and pulling him inside, allowing Richie to kick the door shut behind him. The absence of his mother’s car in the driveway has left him carefree about friends hanging around in his house. Richie ignored the sparks shooting up his arm, beginning where Eddie’s fingers rested on his wrist. After grabbing something to eat, they head to Eddie’s room, prepared to spend the night in comfortable isolation. 

Sonia Kaspbrak had left earlier that afternoon and was gone for the weekend, visiting her newly-widowed sister in Maryland, which left Richie and Eddie, along with the rest of the Losers, to take advantage of the situation.</p><p>“I can’t wait to get shit-faced tomorrow.” Richie announced later on in the evening, his fingers drumming along Eddie’s knee as the other boy sat up against the headboard, reading a book he had been assigned for English class. </p><p>Eddie bookmarked his page and set the book aside, accepting the glasses which Richie pushed into his hands and leaving them on top of the novel. “Just don’t get so drunk that you have a terrible hangover the next day and you act like a dick, please.” He stood up, shutting off the bedroom light. The faint glow of the lamp on his dresser kept the room from plunging into darkness. He and Richie had already changed into more comfortable clothing, settling on sweatpants and basic t-shirts. Richie had always had a few random articles of clothing at Eddie’s house, making their nights together much easier, as he didn’t have to sleep uncomfortably in Eddie’s clothes, which were too short and small for him. </p><p>As Eddie crawled back into bed, Richie had already re-adjusted his position so he was now in his claimed spot within Eddie’s bed, his back to the wall and a significant amount of space in front of him, waiting to be filled by Eddie. “I promise not to do that if you promise to actually let loose. I can’t even remember the last time you were drunk.” </p><p>Eddie scoffed, “Seriously? You don’t remember Bill’s birthday? When I puked on the side of road because we thought it would be a good idea to take a walk, despite the fact that none of us could even stand up straight.” </p><p>Richie immediately laughed, “Oh shit, yeah, I do remember.” Once Eddie was settled and facing Richie, he pulled the blanket up to cover both of them.</p><p>“Exactly. But fine, I’ll take you up on this deal.”</p><p>Richie’s hand easily found its way to Eddie’s waist, resting at the edge of his shirt casually, where Eddie’s skin was warm and soft underneath the thin material. This was a common practice whenever they spent the night together, Richie trying desperately to hide his need to touch Eddie and failing miserably, while Eddie simply accepted it as another aspect of Richie’s tactile nature.</p><p>“Mhm. Goodnight, Eds.”</p><p>Eddie was suddenly so exhausted he couldn’t even bother to fight Richie on the nickname. “Night, Rich.” He shifted slightly, resulting in his shirt riding up and Richie’s hand coming in contact with the bare skin on his hip. If it bothered Eddie, he didn’t say anything. Richie nearly combusted. </p><p>-</p><p>Richie and Eddie spent the next day lounging around, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their friends, no doubt accompanied with several bottles of whatever alcohol Bill and Beverly could get their hands on. They prepared the living room so everyone could sleep comfortably and set up some snacks in the kitchen, leaving room for the pizza which Mike was bringing.</p><p>It was five o’clock now and everyone agreed to be at Eddie’s at six, so Richie was trying to kill time, observing the furniture and odd decorations in Eddie’s bedroom although its rarely changed in the last ten years.

Eddie watched him from where he sat at his desk, his chin resting on his knees as he tucked them in. Richie let out a laugh as he noticed a polaroid picture from a few summers ago of Stan flipping off the camera between steps as he waded out of the quarry, fully dressed, after Bev and Bill had pushed him in. The picture next to it was of Richie and Eddie in the clubhouse, laying in the hammock which was the root of many, many arguments. “We haven’t been to the clubhouse in a while.” Richie spoke.</p><p>“Yeah, well, we all kinda outgrew it, especially you. I swear the last time we were there you hit your head on the ceiling so hard you couldn’t even make a joke about it.” Eddie responded, leaving out the part where he immediately was at Richie’s side, insisting that they should go to the emergency room or at least the doctor’s office, just in case Richie had a concussion or a splinter stuck in his head or something fatal.</p><p>Richie absently rubbed the back of his head, feeling the remnants of a small bump. “Right,” he also didn’t bring up the fact that Eddie’s concerned and careful behaviour that day almost led him to press a kiss to the other’s lips at Richie’s doorstep later that night, barely managing to stop himself as his father pulled into the driveway.</p><p>“Your mom comes home on Monday, right?” Richie asks.</p><p>Eddie nods, “Yeah. You staying ‘till then?” </p><p>Richie was rarely home on weekends, despite the protests of his mother. He’ll be damned if he wastes senior year stuck in his bedroom, alone, listening to his parents argue in the living room, when he could be with his friends. “That’s the plan. Do you mind?” He asks, hesitantly. If Eddie kicked him out he would probably go home and never leave his room again.</p><p>Eddie smiles softly, “Obviously not, Rich. You know you’re always welcome here,” deciding that statement was a bit too heartfelt, he quickly adds, “Except for when my mom randomly knocks on my door and I have to shove you into the closet in order to save both of our lives and avoid a horrible lecture.”</p><p>Richie grinned, “Oh actually, that’s just a fantasy that your mom and I have. It’s quite-“</p><p>“Beep-beep, dick.” Eddie cuts him off, throwing a pencil at him.</p><p>Before Richie could retaliate, the doorbell rang. “It seems as though our suitors are here, Mr. Kaspbrak.” Richie said in one of his Voices before leaving the room and heading down the stairs, Eddie following behind him.</p><p>As Richie opened the door, multiple greetings filled the air. Surprisingly, everyone had shown up at the same time, explaining that they all bumped into each other on the way over. Beverly hugged Richie tightly, slipping a joint behind his ear as they separated. Richie kissed her cheek in gratitude before questioning her about what drinks she brought. Eddie quickly jumped into a conversation with Mike, as the two had not seen each other in over a week. Stan carefully took the pizza boxes out of Mike’s hands, following Bill and Ben into the kitchen. Everyone settled comfortably after a few minutes, lounging in the kitchen with a slice of pizza in hand. </p><p>Richie helped Bill pour everyone a drink, making sure to add extra fruit punch to Eddie’s cup, just the way he likes it. Eddie smiled contently as he took a sip moments after Richie handed him his cup.</p><p>As Stan dug through his bag, looking for his playing cards, Eddie hoisted himself onto the counter, careful not to spill his drink, and rested his back against the cabinet. Richie slipped in between his knees, his elbows resting gently on Eddie’s thighs, leaning slightly into his chest. He had barely even began drinking, yet his resolve was already crumbling as he couldn’t resist being as close to Eddie as he possibly could. </p><p>“Let me look,” Bill spoke on the other side of the kitchen, lightly pushing Stan’s hands over so he could search through the bag. </p><p>Mike switched drinks with Ben, solving the problem of the latter’s drink being too strong for his liking. Beverly took a sip of the problematic drink in question, cringing as she pulled away. “Jesus, is there even any juice in there?” </p><p>Richie protested, defending the drink he made, “Yes! You guys are just lightweights who lack a sense of taste.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, sure. Next time I call being bartender.” Bev responded. </p><p>“Oh! Here they are!” Bill pulled out Stanley’s set of cards, smiling. </p><p>Ben dealt everyone’s cards, as he was the only one the entire group trusted not to cheat. Eddie held his cards to the side, frowning at the selection. Richie tilted his head up, looking at Eddie, “You better not peek at my cards. I know you love to cheat.” </p><p>Eddie scoffed, pushing Richie’s head upright, “That’s hilarious coming from you.”</p><p>“I can practically feel your eyes staring in the direction of my hands. Why must you lie to me, Eds?” </p><p>Before Eddie could respond, Bev spoke up, feigning annoyance, “Boys! Please, there will be many attempts for both of you geniuses to cheat tonight, don’t worry. Can we start now?”</p><p>After at least four rounds of some weird card game Mike insisted that they play, everyone bows out, feeling much less sober than they did an hour ago. Ben and Bill had been ‘sneaking’ shots they entire game, thinking that the rest of them didn’t notice their periodic trips to the table filled with drinks, both of them returning with a sour look on their faces that can only be caused by raspberry vodka.</p><p>Richie was now fully resting against Eddie, his head of messy, dark curls, tickling Eddie’s chin, while his right hand sat on Eddie’s thigh, occasionally tapping out an odd rhythm. Eddie placed his cup down, his fingers brushing the side of Richie’s face as he grabbed the spliff that was somehow still tucked behind his ear. Richie turned slightly as Eddie spoke, “Want to go smoke?” </p><p>“Really, Eddie? You’re such a pothead. But, obviously, yeah, let’s go.” He held Eddie’s hand as the smaller boy jumped off the counter, stumbling slightly and bumping his head into Richie’s chest. Everyone was invited outside, but only Mike and Beverly joined them.</p><p>The four of them stepped out into the backyard, leaning against the wall beneath Eddie’s bedroom window. After the first few hits, it was a struggle for all of them to even manage another puff between laughing fits, finding something new to make fun of as soon as their previous topic had been dropped. For once, Eddie forgot his jacket, resulting in an occasional shiver. “C’mere,” Richie spoke, his words slightly above a whisper as he held his arm out, waiting for Eddie to tuck himself into the side of his body. He ignored the fire burning beneath his skin where Eddie’s arm wrapped around his waist, clutching onto him. </p><p>“Oh my god! It’s burning me! Bev, I think I’m gonna die!” Mike said before coughing roughly and handing her whatever was left.</p><p>Beverly doubled over, “Holy shit, Mike! There’s nothing left! I don’t even know what you inhaled!”</p><p>Richie and Eddie laughed uncontrollably, smiles splitting their faces. “Mike, it was nice knowing you, buddy.” </p><p>Mike continued to cough for another minute or so, and Eddie joked about grabbing his inhaler, which Mike flipped him off in response to. </p><p>“Let’s go back inside. A nice little shot of whiskey will help your throat out.” Bev offered, grabbing Mike’s hand to tug him through the doorway, which Richie held open. </p><p>As he stepped forward, Eddie pulled him back unexpectedly, knocking both of them to the ground as Richie lost his footing and landed on top of Eddie. “Ow. What was that for?” Richie said, his hand still wrapped in Eddie’s.</p><p>Eddie looked up at him, the cold grass brushing his neck, “I, honestly, I don’t even know,” he spoke before his face broke into a grin. </p><p>Richie chuckled, “You are so high, aren’t you?”</p><p>Eddie nodded, unable to answer as he was still laughing. Richie couldn’t take his eyes off of him, his hand brushing Eddie’s cheek to remove an unruly blade of grass. Only then did Eddie manage to stop, looking up at Richie, his face in a soft smile. Richie’s head was filled with <i>EddieEddieEddie</i> and <i>iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou,</i> his current state of intoxication only making his thoughts more unrelenting. </p><p>“Richie,” Eddie said, so quietly that he barely heard him. Richie was already on the verge of breaking, the feeling of Eddie surrounding him, with his fingers brushing Richie’s wrist, with his hand on Richie’s side, holding him up, and with his chest bumping Richie’s every time he let out a breath because they were so close, and Eddie’s breathless tone pushed him over the edge, convincing him to shut his eyes and lean in. </p><p>As Eddie’s breath ghosted over Richie’s lips, the door creaked open behind them. “Beverly thinks you guys froze to death- Oh.” Stan’s voice filled the air and the pair jumped apart, Richie standing quickly as Eddie scrambled to get up. </p><p>Richie choked out a laugh, running his hand through his hair, “Yeah. That was Eddie’s plan when he knocked me over.”</p><p>“Well, we’re planning on toasting to something now, if you guys want to come back inside?” Stan replies, keeping the door open with his foot.</p><p>Eddie nodded, “Definitely.” He avoided Richie’s gaze as he stepped back into the home, rushing towards the others as they filled their shot glasses.</p><p>Richie felt Stan looking at him, about to ask something or say something that he wasn’t ready to talk about right now, “Don’t, Stan. Everything’s fine,” he spoke, forcing a smile onto his face and clapping a hand onto Stan’s back.</p><p>Everything was definitely not fine.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Yeah? Well how would you describe me?”</p><p><i>The love of my life,</i> Richie thinks as soon as the question leaves Eddie’s mouth. Instead, “Neurotic mama’s boy.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Richie stumbles into the kitchen, struggling to stay upright, as he pours himself another shot. He doesn’t even know what he’s drinking at this point. There’s a hint of apple in whatever it is. An hour or so has passed since the incident outside, and Richie is currently regretting his entire existence. Bill appears next to him, a beer in hand, which Richie promptly takes a drink of before handing it back to him. “Billiam, my dear, dear friend, why don’t you take a shot with me?” </p><p>Bill grinned, “Anything for you, Rich,” and filled both of their glasses with some whiskey Ben had grabbed from his mother’s liquor cabinet. They both cringed involuntarily and set their cups aside after drinking the liquor. Mike approaches the two of them and Richie slips out of the conversation easily, intent on finding Bev and asking her if she also was in dire need of a smoke break. Instead, he bumps into Eddie in the hallway. “Oh, shit, my bad.” Richie says, planting his hand on the wall so he doesn’t fall over.</p><p>Eddie stutters out a reply, “N-No, it’s- Sorry, that was my fault.” Despite the lack of a response from Richie, neither of them move.</p><p>After a few moments, “So, how drunk are you on a scale of one to ten? Don’t think I forgot about our deal,” Richie spoke, taking his hand off the wall and choosing to lean against it instead.</p><p>Eddie laughs, “Around an eight. Even though I can clearly tell that you’re shit-faced, breaking our deal entirely.”</p><p>“That is where you are wrong, Eds. I am merely sharing a few drinks with my beloved friends. Not exactly blackout, yet.”</p><p>Eddie takes a step closer, allowing Ben to pass behind him. Richie was once again aware that they were too close and he spotted Bev laying on the couch, her head in Stan’s lap. “I need a smoke. I’ll be back,” he says quickly, leaving before Eddie has the chance to reply.</p><p>She sees Richie walking towards them and sat up, already knowing why he was coming to bother her, “Get my jacket,” she said, and the pair stepped out the front door just a few seconds later. </p><p>Beverly lit both of their cigarettes before sitting down on the small step beneath her feet. Richie joined her. “What time is it?” she asked, glancing at Richie’s watch.</p><p>“I don’t know how, but it’s only nine-thirty.” </p><p>“That’s what happens when you start drinking at six o’clock.”</p><p>“I almost kissed Eddie.” Richie finds himself saying, not even regretting it once it’s out because Bev would be the last person in the world to judge him, and she already knows about Richie’s embarrassing love for their friend.</p><p>Bev pauses before taking his free hand in her own, “Almost?” Richie nearly tears up at the kind gesture. </p><p>He nods, “Yeah. Stan walked in on us. Outside. After you and Mike went in.”</p><p>“Did you say anything?” She asks cautiously.</p><p>“Nope. Not even a joke. Fuck.” He sighs, crushing his cigarette under his shoe.</p><p>“Richie, it’s okay. It’s just Eddie. He’s your best friend.”</p><p>He rests his head on her shoulder, “Thats the problem. I can blame tonight on being wasted, but what if I slip up again and he finds out? And then he hates me for the rest of our lives?”</p><p>Bev stubbed out her cigarette on the pathway behind her before responding, “You guys defeated a homicidal, extra-terrestrial clown together. Eddie could never hate you.”</p><p>Richie laughed dryly, “You’re pulling out the traumatic summer card? I expected more from you, Bev.”</p><p>She giggled, shifting so Richie could lift his head and look at her. “I’m serious. What if he feels the same? And even if he doesn’t, you guys will still be best friends, and we’ll still be the Losers Club.”</p><p>“I’m not drunk enough for this shit, c’mon, I need another drink.” He says, still feeling unconvinced about the entire situation but tired of discussing it. </p><p>Beverly ran her thumb over Richie’s knuckle, “I agree. But, I think you should talk to him about it.”</p><p>Richie doesn’t answer and they head back inside silently. </p><p>After a countless amount of shots in a very short amount of time, Richie starts to feel a little less like shit, and thinks he can have a normal conversation with Eddie again. He finds him sitting on the kitchen counter once again, and Richie brings him a drink. “Thank you.” Eddie mumbles.</p><p>Richie decides against settling between Eddie’s knees and he leans against the fridge instead. Distance is good. He catches Bill and Stan talking quietly near the back door, Bill’s hand resting on Stan’s waist as he leans down to say something in his ear. He will definitely be asking Stan about that later. Desperate for a conversation, Richie begins speaking in a high-pitched, ‘reporter’ Voice, “So, Eddie Kaspbrak, tell me if you’re enjoying your night so far,” he sticks his fist out, acting as if it’s a microphone.</p><p>Eddie rolls his eyes, despite the growing smile on his face, and leans in so he can talk into the ‘microphone’, “I’m having a really good time. I think I can hear Ben throwing up in the bathroom right now, which is super gross, but overall everything is going great. My best friend, some lanky asshole, has been feeding me drinks all night, which is kind of concerning, but it’s alright.”</p><p>Richie breaks character when Eddie mentions Ben, and it’s downhill from there as he’s unable to keep his laugh in. </p><p>“Lanky asshole? That’s a low blow, Eds.”</p><p>“Yeah? Well how would you describe me?”</p><p><i>The love of my life,</i> Richie thinks as soon as the question leaves Eddie’s mouth. Instead, “Neurotic mama’s boy.”</p><p>Eddie gasps jokingly and reaches over to punch Richie in the shoulder, “Dick.”</p><p>The night ensues with Richie making casual conversation with Eddie, neither of them bringing up what happened outside, as they both continue to consume an almost dangerous amount of alcohol.</p><p>Around the midnight mark, everyone begins to crash, they’ve reached the point of being wasted where it’s no longer fun anymore and sleep becomes the only thing that matters. Mike and Ben are the first two to fall asleep, both of them laying on opposite ends of the couch, sharing a blanket. Richie jokes about how cute his ‘children’ are. 

Stan comes next, his head falling onto Beverly’s shoulder, who gently wakes him up and tells him to lie down on the floor, which is filled with pillows and blankets. After taking one last shot for good luck and nearly vomiting right after, Beverly curls up on the reclining chair, squeezing Richie’s hand after she says goodnight. Surprisingly, Bill comes last, staying awake only to clean the kitchen up a little, before sliding in next to Stanley.</p><p>Richie stumbles over his feet as the world spins around him, he only stays standing thanks to Eddie, who is frankly just as drunk but not as gangly, holding him up. They climb the stairs carefully, and Richie is oddly flooded with relief as Eddie shuts the door behind them. </p><p>“I am so fucking tired.” Eddie says, stifling a yawn.</p><p>Richie steps out of his jeans, unable to suppress his need for sweatpants anymore, and struggles to find the pants he was wearing last night. Just as he’s about to give up, Eddie pushes the soft fabric into his hands. He smiles at his friend before pulling the pants on and falling on to the bed. 

His eyes slip shut as he lays on his stomach, waiting for Eddie to shut the lights and come to bed. Suddenly, that exactly happens, although Richie is pretty sure no time has passed. He is so drunk.</p><p>Eddie’s soft fingertips brush Richie’s face, taking his glasses off carefully. Richie opens his eyes and watches him silently, his heart feeling like it’s about to burst with contentment. He lays down on his back and Richie throws his arm over him, pulling him so close that his face is practically buried in Eddie’s neck.</p><p>“Hey, Rich?”</p><p>Richie hums, too tired to form a response.</p><p>“I wish they didn’t come looking for us when we were outside.” Eddie says into the darkness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He glances at his best friend, only to be met with Eddie’s eyes already on him. He raises an eyebrow, “Enjoying the view?” </p><p>Eddie smiles, “Yeah.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Richie wakes up the next morning, terribly aware of two things. First, he might actually die from the headache he has right now, and second, Eddie is completely wrapped around him. Their legs are tangled together, their arms are equally thrown around the other’s waist or chest, and Eddie’s forehead is brushing his shoulder.

 Richie vaguely remembers talking with Eddie in the kitchen after going out for a smoke with Beverly, but everything else is practically a blur. Unfortunately, the almost-kiss in the backyard has not been forgotten. The smaller boy stirs next to him and Richie suddenly remembers what Eddie had said to him right before he fell asleep. <i>I wish they didn’t come looking for us when we were outside.</i> He freezes, completely shocked at the memory and Eddie’s words. Holy shit. Did Eddie want Richie to kiss him? 

He nearly laughs out loud at that insane possibility. No, he was probably just drunk and the burden of teenage hormones caught up to him last night. There was no way he felt the same way as Richie did. </p><p>“Your thoughts are interrupting my sleep.” Eddie mumbles, eyes still closed.</p><p>Richie made an attempt to relax, “Sorry. It’s the hangover anxiety.”</p><p>Eddie sighed and stretched, but didn’t separate himself from Richie. “Don’t worry. You didn’t do anything catastrophic.”</p><p><i>Yeah, right,</i> Richie thinks. He leans across Eddie and grabs his glasses, slipping them onto his face. He looks over at Eddie and his heart swells. His hair is a mess, sticking up in random spots, but it adds to the overall soft appeal of his best friend in the early morning. Eddie catches him staring and offers him a small smile before rubbing his eyes, making no attempts to leave the bed. Richie wonders if he even remembered what he said to him last night. </p><p>“Do you think everyone else is still sleeping?” Eddie asks.</p><p>Richie snorts, “Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mike wakes up later tonight, he was crazy yesterday.”</p><p>He laughs quietly, “Yeah, he was.” </p><p>Against his better judgement, Richie reaches forward and seizes Eddie’s hand in his own, intertwining their fingers and squeezing once. The other boy sits up, but doesn’t retrieve his hand, and faces Richie. “Look, about last night,” Eddie starts, but Richie can’t bring himself to listen to his best friend rejecting him, so he cuts him off.</p><p>“Don’t even worry about it, Eds. We were both completely wasted, I know you didn’t mean anything serious, neither did I.” He manages to say, proud of himself for lying straight through his teeth about his feelings. As he finishes his statement, something odd flickers in Eddie’s eyes and reflects on his features, which he doesn’t recognize, but it’s gone as fast as it arrived. </p><p>“Yeah, of course.” Eddie smiles at him. Richie hears footsteps approaching and he gently releases Eddie’s hand, immediately missing the contact.</p><p>Bill strides into the room with no trace of a hangover, and Richie wished he had the same magical ability as he did. “You guys want breakfast?” </p><p>-</p><p>The next week passes in a blur as Richie buckles down and focuses on his schoolwork, but this doesn’t stop him from climbing through Eddie’s window and stumbling into his bed each night, his friend waiting for him, feigning annoyance before tugging him under the covers. Richie would slip back out at sunrise the next morning, but not before sparing a glance at a very peaceful, sleeping, Eddie. </p><p>On Thursday, Richie’s uncle, Aaron, shows up, pulling into the driveway as Richie was about to open the front door after walking home from school.

 “Richie! Jesus, you’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you!” His uncle spoke with a deep, kind, voice. Richie was honestly confused about how this man and his father were related. </p><p>They share a quick hug before Aaron plants the car keys to his truck into Richie’s palm, “She’s yours now. Be careful on the road, kid.”</p><p>Richie smiles gratefully, “Of course.” Wentworth opens the door behind them, greeting both his son and his brother with a clap on the back. Richie endures a painfully boring dinner, filled with his mother’s small talk, as his eagerness to go on a drive with his friends nearly forces him to just get up and leave. Thankfully, nobody is craving dessert and Richie takes this as his opportunity to leave, grabbing his new car keys and rushing out the door, barely managing a quick “Bye!” thrown over his shoulder. </p><p>The truck isn’t great, honestly, it’s slightly rusted and the breaks squeak constantly, but Richie doesn’t care. It’s his. He drives to Stan’s house first, since it’s the closest. As he pulls into the driveway and nearly hits the mailbox, he grins and honks the horn twice. Stan is outside immediately and he climbs into the passenger seat without a second thought, “Holy shit! I thought your uncle wasn’t coming until Saturday?”</p><p>“Same, but he showed up a few hours ago.”</p><p>“Wow, Rich. You came here first?” Stanley questioned.</p><p>Richie nodded, “Yeah, you’re my oldest friend, dick.” He playfully shoved Stan’s shoulder before looking back and backing out of the driveway, heading towards Beverly’s apartment.</p><p>Stan scoffs, “I might have known you the longest but Eddie is definitely your favourite, don’t even try and lie to me. Especially after what happened last weekend.”</p><p>His grip tightens on the wheel after Stan’s comment, not prepared to discuss that right now. “Oof, that’s low, Stan. Maybe we should talk about Bill following you around like a puppy, instead?”</p><p>Stan’s cheeks go red and Richie grins. “Shut up. How about we completely avoid the topic of last weekend?”</p><p>“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”</p><p>Stan fumbles with the radio, struggling to find a proper channel. As Richie parks outside Bev’s building, a popular song by Aztec Camera fills the car. “You want to go get her or should I?” Richie asks.</p><p>Stanley opens the door, “I’ll go.”</p><p>Richie sings along to the song while waiting for his return with Beverly. A minute or two passes before the doors creak open, and Bev is kissing his cheek as she leans over the console from her spot in the backseat. “Richie! This thing is amazing!” </p><p>Richie laughs, “I know! We should drive to fucking New York or something right now.”  </p><p>His friends settle in and Stan speaks, “Not without everyone else, I think I would die if Eddie isn’t here to keep you in check.” Richie rolls his eyes before pulling away from the curb and continuing his mission in picking up the Losers Club. Bill comes next, inspecting the vehicle before getting in, grinning as he sat down next to Beverly and congratulated Richie. As they approach Ben’s house, Stan spots Mike walking down the street, telling Richie to stop the car before he rolled down the window and yelled, “Mike! Get over here!” </p><p>Mike looks around for a brief moment before spotting the faded red truck and jogging over to it, “Oh my god. Richie, she’s beautiful!” </p><p>“I know! I don’t know how all seven of us are going to fit though, it only seats five.” Richie responds as Mike leans through the window to hear him better.</p><p>“Who cares! Eddie could probably fit up front next to Stan, if not, I wouldn’t mind getting in the bed with someone.” </p><p>Beverly lights her cigarette before responding, “Hanging out in the truck bed sounds sick. I’ll take you up on that offer, Mike.”</p><p>Bill smiles, “Just don’t crash, Rich.” </p><p>Mike, Beverly, and Bill climb into the bed carefully, giving Richie a thumbs up after they get comfortable. They pick up Ben, who is almost as happy as Richie about the car. He’s also grateful he can sit in the backseat, jokingly claiming that the rebels in the truck bed aren’t his friends. Finally, Richie takes off towards Eddie’s house, eager to see him, yet still driving cautiously so he doesn’t kill all his friends in a fiery crash. 

He nearly laughs at the thought of all of them dying in a car accident after surviving a killer clown. 

Richie parks the car and gets out, walking up the path to Eddie’s front door. He knocks twice and also rings the doorbell for good measure. His best friend opens the door, smiling immediately when his eyes meet Richie’s. “What are you doing here?” </p><p>Richie steps to the side and gestures to the truck parked on the side of the street before spinning the keys around his index finger. Eddie’s grin grows incredibly, “Your uncle came early? Holy crap. Why are those idiots in the back? Oh, there’s not enough room for all of us. I can’t believe it’s actually yours. Where are we going? Actually, I don’t even care. Let’s go,” he says quickly, rambling, not letting Richie answer any of his questions.
 
Eddie yells a goodbye to his mother before slamming the door and bounding over to the car, sliding into the passenger seat which was now empty as Stan had crawled into the backseat next to Ben as Richie parked the car. </p><p>They quickly fall into an intense discussion about The Beatles after ‘Hey Jude’ started playing on the radio. Eddie insisting that Paul is a better writer than John, “No way, Ben! Even Richie agrees with me, right?” He gestures wildly towards the driver’s seat and Richie nods vehemently, “Yeah, Paul is way better.”</p><p>They stop at the diner and grab some milkshakes to go before leaving once more and driving to the quarry. 

Richie cringes as Stan enjoys his strawberry milkshake, he can’t help but comment, “Strawberry is the worst flavour.” Stan offers him the finger as he continues to sip his drink. The ride gets bumpier as the road turns to dirt and Richie slows down considerably, scared that Beverly or someone is going to fly out of the bed. </p><p>They make it to the cliff in one piece and Richie sighs without noticing it, relieved that his first drive with his friends didn’t result in disaster. Everyone gets out except for Eddie, and Richie’s brain supplies a <i>RichieandEddie.</i> “Thanks for not killing us. You drive well.” Richie’s heart swells at the compliment which was the opposite of Eddie’s character. He expected him to berate Richie’s driving and kiss the ground after stepping out of the car. </p><p>“Thanks, Eddie.” He offers before opening the door. His friends are gathered near the back of the truck, Bill and Stan sitting at the edge of the bed with their feet brushing the floor, Mike leaning next to them. Ben, Stanley, and Beverly, are sitting on a plaid blanket a few feet away, and Richie recognizes the blanket as the one that was under the passenger seat in the truck.</p><p>They spend the evening bickering and discussing multiple topics ranging from ABBA to the moon landing. </p><p>“No way. It was definitely fake.” Bill says.</p><p>Mike argues, “Your parents literally watched it on the television! How can you even say that they faked the goddamn moon landing?” </p><p>Richie and Eddie swap milkshakes occasionally and Richie pretends not to notice Stan’s questioning gaze and raised eyebrows. Ben jokes about going for a swim and Bill agrees, reaching to pull his shirt off before chuckling. They all share a joint except for Richie, who learns about the burden of being the designated driver.

Beverly braids a few pieces of Richie’s hair, as it’s grown out quite a lot in the past few months, before taking them apart and starting all over. This cycle continues until the end of the night. Ben fills Mike in on what he learned in history class today, and Mike listens to this as if it’s what he’s been waiting for since the day he was born. </p><p>Bill and Stan decide to walk home, claiming that they don’t want to waste any more of Richie’s gas today, and Richie nearly screams at the excuse, knowing that the pair are probably going to end up making out in Bill’s garage in twenty minutes. Bev suggests catching a movie, but they ultimately decide against it as they all have school tomorrow and it’s already getting late.

Hours after the sun has set, the remaining Losers decide to pack it up and head home, despite their desire to stay at the quarry all night, drifting between conversations and comfortable silence, which was more often than not interrupted by a crude joke provided by Richie. 

He takes Ben home first, then Beverly, and Mike after, even though he lives the farthest and it would’ve made more sense to take Eddie home instead. </p><p>Richie drives slowly back into town, savouring his time with Eddie. The roads are empty, as they usually are on a weeknight in Derry, and the music filtering through the radio plays softly, the barely audible volume adding to the comfortable atmosphere. 

He glances at his best friend, only to be met with Eddie’s eyes already on him. He raises an eyebrow, “Enjoying the view?” </p><p>Eddie smiles, “Yeah.”</p><p>Richie almost crashes the car. Well, not actually, he doesn’t swerve or hit the brakes or something like that. But Eddie’s simple statement with no humour attached to it distracts him to the point where he considers pulling over. He’s incredibly aware of the sheer lack of platonic-ness in Eddie’s response, and his thoughts are filled with <i>EddieEddieEddie.</i> Richie finds it impossible to form a joke or a sarcastic answer, so he simply doesn’t say anything. The Kenduskeag flows under the bridge Richie drives over and he knows they’re just a few minutes from Eddie’s house. He takes a risk and pulls onto a side street, parking the car a few feet ahead of a street light. They speak at the same time.</p><p>“Richie.”</p><p>“Eddie.”</p><p>Richie decides that he doesn’t care about consequences or bad outcomes anymore, and he abruptly unbuckles his seatbelt and leans toward Eddie, his elbow resting uncomfortably on the console. Eddie mirrors his actions, their faces inches apart, further fuelling Richie’s thoughts. “Tell me this is all in my head.” Richie says, his voice quiet and hesitant, the opposite of how he usually acts.</p><p>“I can’t.” Eddie responds, and that’s all it takes for Richie to close the distance between them. Eddie’s lips are soft under his and Richie thinks that this is why he refused to die at the hands of It all those years ago. Richie’s hands move without a second thought, one of them gripping Eddie’s shirt at his waist and the other placed gently on the side of his neck. 

Eddie shifts, trying to get closer, and his arm slips off the console, throwing off his balance and separating the pair. He laughs, “Shit. Sorry.”</p><p>Richie shakes his head and grins before pushing his seat back and gesturing towards his lap, “Fuck that. Come here.” </p><p>Eddie climbs over carefully, making sure not to bump his head, and he slides on to Richie’s lap, wrapping his arms around his neck. Richie bites his lip, containing either a moan or a humiliating confession. Eddie leans down and takes Richie’s glasses off quickly, tossing them onto the empty seat next to him, and their lips are connected once again. 

Richie pulls Eddie closer with a hand on his back, as the other slides under his shirt, resting on his waist. Eddie’s fingers slip into the hair at the back of Richie’s neck, and he responds with embarrassing groan, which Eddie takes advantage of as he swipes his tongue along Richie’s lip, which the other boy catches, turning their kiss into something much more heated. 

After a few moments they separate unwillingly, both of them breathless. Eddie leans his head into Richie’s shoulder, letting out a laugh.</p><p>Richie’s face splits into a grin, “Yeah.” He pauses before continuing, “I think I’ve been wanting to do that since like, the eighth grade.”</p><p>Eddie lifts his head, their eyes meeting, “Are you shitting me?”</p><p>Richie panics for a few seconds, before realizing that if Eddie didn’t want this he wouldn’t be sitting on his thighs and his fingers wouldn’t be tangled in his hair right now. “I wish. It’s kind of pathetic, honestly.” </p><p>Eddie presses a quick kiss to his lips, and Richie feels his smile as they pull apart. “Well, fuck. Call me pathetic too, then.” He leans back in, crowding Richie again.</p><p>They stay there for a while longer, exploring each other’s mouths languidly, as if they have all the time in the world. Richie doesn’t care about the fact that his parents are probably going to flip when he eventually gets home. Eddie’s mother doesn’t even cross his mind. Richie buries his face in Eddie’s neck, leaving a few marks, smiling softly as he hears a moan slip out of the other’s mouth, before trailing back up and kissing him again. Richie leans forward eagerly, getting as close to Eddie as he can, but he accidentally pushes him against the wheel and his back hits the horn. They jump apart at the loud sound before laughing, tears filling their eyes at this insanely unexpected situation. “I love you.” Richie says as soon as he catches his breath. And Eddie just smiles at him, so softly, and Richie can’t believe he used to think this whole thing was one-sided. </p><p>Eddie hugs him tightly, “Fuck, I’ve been in love with you since that summer. Probably even before that. I don’t know what I would do without you.”</p><p>Richie blinks away the tears forming in his eyes, but his voice cracks as he responds, “Jesus, Eds. I never thought this would happen. I thought you would hate me when you found out.”</p><p>“As if, asshole. We nearly died together, I could never hate you.”</p><p>Richie seizes Eddie’s lips and they’re back to making out, tearful confessions pushed aside, but not forgotten. Eddie’s teeth graze Richie’s collarbone and he bucks his hips involuntarily, stuttering out, “Fuck, you’re driving me crazy.”</p><p>Eddie’s hand slips between them and he cups Richie through his jeans, and Richie almost comes in his pants like a fourteen year old idiot. “So, all those big dick jokes were true?” Eddie says before attaching his lips to Richie’s neck.</p><p>“Original material only, baby.” Richie chokes out, barely managing to form a sentence through this intense haze of <i>EddieEddieEddie.</i> His hands slide up Eddie’s thighs, inching closer until he begins fumbling with the button and the zipper.</p><p>Eddie pulls away, taking Richie’s hands in his own, resting their foreheads together. Eddie closes his eyes, “As much as I want to, trust me, we are not having sex for the first time in your car.”</p><p>Richie chuckles, “Yeah, you’re right.” He glances at the clock on the dashboard, the neon green numbers shouting ‘3:16 AM’ at him. Eddie crawls off of his lap and sits down in the passenger seat, passing Richie his glasses.</p><p>“My mom is going to kill me.” Eddie says, buckling his seatbelt.</p><p>Richie does the same and he starts the car, “Don’t worry, I’ll distract her while you sneak in. You’re not the only one who can’t keep their lips off me.” </p><p>Eddie rolls his eyes and he bites back a smile before responding, “Beep-beep, Richie.”</p><p>In just two or three turns, they arrive at Eddie’s house and Richie walks him to the front door, whispering as he leans down, “Goodnight, Mr. Kaspbrak. Try not to dream of me.”</p><p>The other boy responds with a scoff, “Fuck you. Try not to jerk off to me,” before kissing Richie one last time for the night.</p><p>“Too late.” Richie grins, holding in his laugh in an attempt to stay quiet so they didn’t wake up the entire neighbourhood.</p><p>“Seriously?”</p><p>“Those little red shorts drive me insane. They are literally the bane of my existence.”</p><p>Eddie’s cheeks flush red, “Whatever. Goodnight, Rich.” He unlocks the door and pushes it open slowly, glancing at his friend before slipping inside silently. </p><p>Richie runs a hand through his hair as he walks down the path. There is no way he and Eddie just made out in his truck for two hours. He gets in the car and takes a quick look in the mirror, tilting it towards his neck, displaying the collection of hickies Eddie left in his wake. Well, maybe they did just make out in his truck for two hours. He drives home in silence, replaying the events of the night in his head. Eddie loves him. He loves Eddie. <i>RichieandEddie.</i> He gets home and attempts to slip into his room quietly, failing as the stairs creak beneath his feet. He eventually gets into bed without waking his parents and he falls asleep almost immediately, his happiness luring him into one of the best nights of sleep he’s ever had.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Richie honestly doesn’t know how he settled for being just Eddie’s best friend for so long. He has no clue how he survived for so many years without knowing what Eddie tastes like. Or how he survived without Eddie’s lips, or without the knowledge of the noises Eddie makes in bed, and how he squirms under Richie’s hands.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Richie wakes up the next morning to his parents talking in the hallway, he barely catches the end of the conversation, his mother’s voice being the only thing penetrating the silence of the house, “Leave him alone, Went. You know he was just with his friends, they probably went to the theatre and watched a movie or two. It was his first night with the car, let him enjoy that memory.” 

He hears his father huff before walking down the stairs. He smiles before turning over and shutting his eyes once again.</p><p>The next time he wakes up isn’t as pleasant, his alarm blaring, reminding him that he does, in fact, have to go to school. He grumbles out a complaint before slipping out of bed and getting into the shower. 

An hour later, he’s in the hallway, heading towards his locker. All traces of sleep and morning grumpiness leave his body as he sees Eddie standing there, attempting to open Richie’s locker. “Hey,” he says as he approaches him, easily entering his combination and popping the locker open. 

He casually catches Eddie’s hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. </p><p>“Hi. Missed you.” Eddie responds delicately. He grabs his geography textbook, which was hiding underneath a pile of notebooks, all of them having different owners within the Losers Club. </p><p>“Yeah?” Richie beams, grabbing his own book before shutting the door.</p><p>“Jesus, what the fuck did I miss?” </p><p>Richie and Eddie both turn their heads to see Stan and Beverly watching them, Stan’s eyes wide and shocked at Beverly’s words. Ben and Bill appear next to them, quickly noticing the love-filled look in Richie’s eyes and the gentle smile on Eddie’s face. “Fuck yeah! Mike owes me twenty bucks.” Bill says.</p><p>“What? When did you assholes start a bet? I wanted in.” Bev questions him.</p><p>“Wait. You and Mike seriously bet on me and Richie?” Eddie glares.</p><p>Bill shrugs apologetically, “Shit, sorry, Eddie. But you guys are painfully obvious and I couldn’t ignore easy money like that.”</p><p>Richie smirks, “Ben, where’s my thirty dollars?”</p><p>Ben and Bill both look at him, confusion visible on their faces.</p><p>“Oh, Ben and I made a bet about a month ago about you and Stan. And Stanley here, my dear best friend, is wearing your sweatshirt.”</p><p>Beverly whistles and Eddie snickers, “Wow.”</p><p>Bill quickly glances at Stan, who is looking down at the burgundy top he’s wearing. “Well, fuck.” Bill sighs before smiling sheepishly. </p><p>Ben groans and pulls out his wallet, handing Richie a few bills. “Thank you, haystack. Thank you very much.” Richie slides the money into his pocket.</p><p>Beverly giggles, “Mike is going to literally have an aneurism when I tell him about this.” </p><p>The bell, signalling that students should be making their way to homeroom, rings. Bev whispers something in Eddie’s ear before taking off. Ben follows after her, offering them a brief statement, “I’m happy for you guys. Really. Glad you all figured everything out.” </p><p>Stan leans into Bill and Richie can’t help but smile, “You guys are fucking losers.”</p><p>“So are you. Also, don’t think I can’t see the marks you goddamn animals left on each other.” Bill grins.</p><p>Eddie laughs, maneuvering Richie’s arm so it lounges on his shoulders, “Just say you’re jealous.”</p><p>“Oh, he doesn’t need to be. Trust me.” Stan replies. </p><p>The rest of them immediately begin laughing as Richie yells, “Holy fuck, Stan! Keep that shit to yourself, we get it!”</p><p>Stan buries his face in his hands, “I deeply regret saying that. I think I’m going to go to class now.” </p><p>“I’ll walk you. Bye, lovebirds.” Bill waves before falling into step with Stanley, heading down the hallway. </p><p>Richie leans down and kisses Eddie slowly, grateful that everyone is in class already so they can have this moment to themselves. “You want to come over later? I think my parents are driving my uncle back home today.” Richie says as they part.</p><p>Eddie nods before placing his hands on Richie’s chest and pushing him away lightly, “Yeah, sure. I’ll see you at lunch. Bye, Rich.” He turns and begins walking to his first period.</p><p>“Goodbye, Spaghetti.”</p><p>Eddie flips him off without turning around. </p><p>-</p><p>Richie fidgets in the car seat, waiting for Eddie. He taps his fingers against the steering wheel and smiles in relief when he spots Eddie walking towards him in the rearview mirror. Seconds later, Eddie opens the passenger door and throws his backpack in the backseat before sitting. “God, my math teacher is such,” Richie cuts him off with a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in for an eager kiss. </p><p>Richie pulls back and starts the car, quickly leaving the high school parking lot and heading home, “Sorry,” he says, although his grin says the opposite and Eddie rolls his eyes.</p><p>Eddie proceeds to complain about his math class and his ‘demonic’ instructor for the whole drive, and even as they walk into Richie’s house. He only stops when Richie pushes him onto the bed gently, slipping between his legs and pinning Eddie to the bed.</p><p>“Hi. Sorry for ranting,” Eddie says, wrapping his arms around Richie.</p><p>“It’s okay.” Richie replies, his words mumbled as his lips brush against the skin on Eddie’s neck.</p><p>They don’t speak much after that, only offering each other breathless “i love you’s” or profanities spoken into the other’s lips. When Richie can feel how hard Eddie is beneath him, he slips his hand under Eddie’s shirt and caresses his torso tenderly. 

Eddie pulls their lips apart before kissing Richie’s jaw and unzipping his pants, attempting to push them down his hips. Richie shifts, helping Eddie, and successfully takes his jeans off, leaving them next to the bed. He slips Eddie’s shirt over his shoulders and Eddie lifts his head, taking the fabric from Richie’s hands and tossing it in the direction of Richie’s dresser.

“Richie, fuck, please.” Eddie says, stifling a moan as Richie unbuttons his pants and slides them off. His fingers brush against the waistband of Eddie’s briefs, silently asking for permission. </p><p>Eddie nods, “Yeah.” </p><p>Richie pulls Eddie’s last article of clothing off, and Eddie inhales sharply as the cool air hits him. Richie literally moans at the sight of him. “I actually might come untouched.” Richie says, choking out a laugh at the end of his sentence.</p><p>Eddie chuckles, “Not letting that happen.” He leans up and peels Richie’s shirt off of him. </p><p>Their eyes meet as Eddie slides Richie’s boxer’s off, and Eddie quickly wraps a hand around him. “Oh my God, Eds, I’m about to cry.”</p><p>Eddie smiles and presses a kiss to his shoulder, “Richie Tozier cries in bed? Didn’t expect that one.”</p><p>“Shut up.” Richie responds, placing a hand on Eddie’s jaw and kissing him fervently. </p><p>Eddie jerks him off slowly, dragging it out as Richie moans into his mouth. Richie’s arousal leaves him breathless, unable to kiss Eddie, and he’s just sitting there panting, occasionally moaning Eddie’s name. He knows Richie is close, and he smirks at the fact that Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier is completely speechless right now and pliant in Eddie’s hands. 

He runs his thumb over the head of Richie’s cock and he comes in Eddie’s hand seconds later, as he presses his lips to Richie’s collarbone. Eddie waits for Richie to recover, his own need to be touched impossibly growing, “You okay?”</p><p>Richie nods, “Yeah. Yes. Sorry, holy shit. I love you.”</p><p>They meet each other in the middle once again, but Richie only kisses him for a few moments before pushing Eddie flat on his back. “I want to blow you.”</p><p>Eddie’s body stiffens at Richie’s words, and he recoils, his smile dropping, “W-What?”</p><p>Richie notices his sudden shift in behaviour, catching a look of terror in his eyes that he hasn’t seen since It and he pulls away from him. “What’s wrong?” He asks, cautiously. And again when he receives no response, “Eddie, what is it? If you don’t want to do that, it’s fine. I don’t care. The only thing that matters is that you feel safe.”</p><p>He blinks a few times before answering, “No, it’s not that. It’s…” </p><p>Richie runs a hand through his hair, not sure what to do. “It’s okay. It’s just me. It’s Richie, okay?”</p><p>Eddie relaxes slightly, but not completely. He rubs his face before speaking, “When we were kids, the leper offered me a blowjob, outside of Neibolt. He wouldn’t stop saying it.”</p><p>The state of panic leaves Richie’s body and he moves closer to his friend, “Oh, Eddie. That fucking sucks. I’m so sorry.” He places a tentative hand on Eddie’s shoulder, rubbing him gently.</p><p>“Yeah. As soon as you said that, it was the first thing I thought of. Sorry for ruining the moment, fuck.” Eddie sighs.</p><p>Richie leans in and kisses him softly, “Listen to me, you didn’t ruin anything. Fuck that leper and fuck It, okay? It’s just me and you right now. It’s just Richie and Eddie. You don’t need to worry about that shit when we’re together, I swear.” He can tell that Eddie believes him as he gets comfortable once again, allowing Richie to slip between his knees. </p><p>Eddie leans in and presses their lips together once more, “Okay. I love you. So much.” They pick up where they left off, Richie working him up again to the point where Eddie is gripping the sheets.</p><p>Richie leaves a trail of kisses from Eddie’s jaw all the way down to his hips. Although he’s obviously never done this before, he doesn’t care, he just wants to make Eddie feel good. 

As he’s about to wrap his lips around him, Eddie places a hand on his shoulder, “Wait! Bev- Bev said no teeth. She said ‘no teeth during blowjobs’ to me in the hallway this morning.”</p><p>Richie laughs, “Okay. No teeth.” He sticks his tongue out and licks Eddie’s cock from base to tip, and Eddie lets out a high-pitched, breathy, sound that Richie will never forget. He erases any doubt from his mind and takes Eddie in his mouth, and the other’s hands rapidly end up in Richie’s hair, tugging lightly at his curls. He hollows his cheeks and uses his tongue, swirling it around the head. 

From the noises that Eddie’s making above him, he assumes he isn’t doing too terribly. “I’m, Richie, Rich, I’m going to come.” Eddie announces.</p><p>He doesn’t stop, not even as Eddie’s orgasm hits him like a freight train and he comes in Richie’s mouth, the warm liquid catching him off guard, yet he still swallows. </p><p>Richie pulls himself back up, laying next to Eddie, both of them panting. “Not to build your already immense ego, but that was amazing.” Eddie says, tilting his head to look at his best friend.</p><p>“I’ll add that to my list of sex reviews, thanks.”</p><p>Eddie swats him playfully and Richie grins, “Just kidding. You’re the first dude, don’t get jealous.” Richie has had a couple of girlfriends in the last few years, and he had sex with both of them, but neither were as important to him as Eddie.</p><p>“I know. I’m shocked you and Bill haven’t hooked up before, though.”</p><p>“Really? He’s not really my type. I prefer weirdos with fake-asthma.” Richie grins, leaning in to kiss him.</p><p>Eddie holds him back, “I am absolutely not kissing you right now. My dick was just in your mouth. I jizzed in your mouth. Go brush your teeth.” </p><p>Richie feigns offence, “Wow. How rude.” Although he gets out of the bed and walks over to the washroom attached to his bedroom, applying some toothpaste to his toothbrush and brushing quickly. 

Eddie also stands and washes his hands, pushing Richie over with his hip. “I will literally spit in your hair.” Richie says, pushing Eddie back to his original spot as he leans down and spits into the sink. </p><p>“Not if you want to get your hands on me ever again.”</p><p>Richie rinses his mouth, flicking Eddie in the chest as he turns the tap off with his other hand. Eddie tugs him in and they nearly bump their foreheads together. They stand there for a few minutes, kissing sweetly, the intense need for more pushed aside for now. When they separate, Richie’s finger grazes over Eddie’s neck, “I hope you have a shit ton of turtlenecks.”</p><p>Eddie gives him a confused glance before leaning over and looking at his reflection in the mirror. His jaw drops as he sees the amount of marks Richie had left on him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” </p><p>Richie throws his hands in the air, “You did exactly the same to me!” He gestures at his own neck, which practically mirrors Eddie’s.</p><p>“Remind me to ask Beverly for her concealer.”</p><p>Richie laughs and they step out of the washroom. He digs through his dresser and pulls out some clothes for the both of them, purposely giving Eddie his favourite shirt.</p><p>They crawl under the covers together and Richie sighs contently. “Hey, Eds?” He starts, waiting for a response.</p><p>Eddie hums, “Mhm? What is it?”</p><p>“Do you want to be my boyfriend?”</p><p>Eddie smiles, linking their fingers together. “Obviously, dumbass.”</p><p>Richie lets a minute or two pass before he speaks again, “If that ever happens again, like, you remember something from that summer and you get scared, even outside of sex and stuff, just talk to me. I’ll get you through it.”</p><p>“Alright. Same goes for you, though. Like, if you ever get worried about that whole thing.”</p><p>Richie nods, pressing his lips to Eddie’s forehead before shutting his eyes. He decides against telling him about the nightmares he has where an adult Eddie dies in his arms.</p><p>-</p><p>Richie honestly doesn’t know how he settled for being <i>just</i> Eddie’s best friend for so long. He has no clue how he survived for so many years without knowing what Eddie tastes like. Or how he survived without Eddie’s lips, or without the knowledge of the noises Eddie makes in bed, and how he squirms under Richie’s hands. Despite Richie’s disappointment in his past self, he knows they’re making up for lost time now. </p><p>Eddie is straddling his lap as the sun rises around them, but Richie doesn’t even notice that it’s no longer dark outside as his lips are attached to Eddie’s neck. They’re at the quarry again, which has somehow become an even more frequent spot for them, hooking up in the back of Richie’s truck.</p><p>“Rich, Richie, oh my god, Rich.” Eddie says breathlessly.</p><p>Richie can barely form a response but he manages, “Yeah, I got you,” before slipping his hand into Eddie’s pants.</p><p>Eddie crumbles, burying his face in Richie’s neck, moaning against the soft skin. </p><p>“Fuck,” the taller boy whispers, barely able to see straight through his intense haze of need for Eddie.</p><p>They jump apart at the sound of footsteps approaching them, and Eddie laughs before running a hand through Richie’s hair. He groans, “Remind me why we invited them again?”</p><p>Mike appears at the side of the truck, “Because we’re your friends, asshole.”</p><p>“And we would absolutely kill you guys if you went on a road trip without us,” Bill adds, grinning. It’s Halloween weekend and the Losers Club has decided to celebrate in New York City, despite Richie’s anxiety about driving for so long.

The only reason he agreed was because he couldn’t pass up the opportunity of seeing his friends drunk in the middle of Times Square, and everyone also eventually caved to squeezing into the backseat, rather than the truck bed, in an attempt to ease Richie’s nerves.</p><p>Somehow, they manage to fit everyone’s luggage and all seven losers in the car. They drive past the border of Derry at exactly seven AM and Richie’s heart swells at the glint in Eddie’s eyes as they pass the ‘Come Back Soon’ sign. He expects that they’ll be in Manhattan in the early afternoon. 

Eddie has claimed the passenger seat, with the compromise that he switches with Stanley on the way back, and provides Richie with directions in the midst of the chaos filling the truck as their friends jump between conversation topics and games. </p><p>Around the halfway mark, Richie begins to squirm and Bill insists that they pull over and he can drive. He’s pretty grateful because at this point he’s also feeling a bit tired, a consequence of staying up all night with Eddie. He slides into the backseat next to Beverly and she grins, squeezing his knee once before returning to her conversation with Ben. 

Bill drives smoothly and Richie finds himself struggling to stay awake, ultimately deciding to rest his eyes for a while as he rests his head against the window.</p><p>-</p><p>“Richie is going to fucking flip,”</p><p>“It’s fine! At least we made it!”</p><p>“He’s right. It could be worse.”</p><p>Richie groans, stretching in an attempt to ease the ache in his back. He opens his eyes and sees that he’s the only one in the car and his friends are standing on the sidewalk next to him. He abruptly climbs out, shocked that he slept through the rest of the drive and they are in fact, in New York fucking City right now. He rubs his eyes, “Why didn’t anyone wake me up?” </p><p>Ben shrugs, “Well…” </p><p>Richie follows everyone’s gaze to the bumper of the truck, and his jaw drops. The paint in the corner has completely chipped off and there’s a decent-sized dent in the metal. Before he can even speak, Bill is in front of him, placing his hands on Richie’s shoulders, “Listen, Richie, I am so sorry. T-There was some fucking animal in the street and I had to s-swerve and I kind of hit a lamp p-post.”</p><p>“Kind of?” Richie responds, glaring at Bill, containing his reaction to his friend’s stutter reappearing for the first time in a few years.</p><p>Eddie sidles up next to him, “The thing came out of no where, Rich. If he hit it, we probably would’ve crashed and caused more damage.”</p><p>Richie sighs and inspects the bumper, running his hand along the dent. “I’ll pay to get it fixed, shit, did I ruin the entire weekend?” Bill speaks.</p><p>Richie takes a minute to compose himself and calm down, realizing that even if he was driving the same thing would’ve happened. He shakes his head and smiles slightly, “Bill, it’s fine. There’s nothing you could do. Don’t even worry about it. How much do you think the damage is going to cost, Mike?” </p><p>Mike considers the question for a moment before answering, “My grandpa could fix it for a couple hundred bucks. Not too much.”</p><p>Both Bill and Richie relax considerably, relieved that this accident wouldn’t affect their college savings too much. “I’ll pay half,” he says to Bill, feeling guilty over the fact that his best friend was so worried about Richie’s reaction and the entire situation. </p><p>“What? No way,” he starts, but Richie cuts him off with an unexpected hug.</p><p>“It could be way worse. I’m not going to flip shit over a dent. And you’re my best fucking friend, jesus, I’m not just going to let you completely pay for a repair on my car.”</p><p>Bill grins and claps a hand on Richie’s shoulder, “Love you, man.”</p><p>Beverly whistles, “Great job, boys. I’m shocked that went as smooth as it did. Remember when you punched Richie in the face?”</p><p>They all laugh and collect their bags from the car, walking down the block to the apartment they’re staying in. Fortunately, Bev has a cousin who lives in the city who offered his brownstone as a place to stay for the Losers for the weekend, as he’s out of town until the beginning of November. 

They climb the stairs and Bev opens the door eagerly, ushering everybody in. As most homes in Manhattan, the space is small but comfortable. There’s only one bedroom, which everyone immediately insists that Bev takes, and she begrudgingly accepts. 

They settle in quickly, organizing their bags and taking out necessities, like toothbrushes and combs. Mike and Ben retreat to the kitchen, working together to prepare lunch. </p><p>Richie leans against the back of the couch, glancing around and taking in the space. He catches Eddie’s wrist as he walks by and pulls him close, “Hi.”</p><p>Eddie kisses him softly and rests a hand at the back of his neck, “Hi, Trashmouth. What do you want?”</p><p>He draws circles on the soft skin at Eddie’s wrist and smiles mischievously before answering, “I was just wondering if you could call your mom real quick so I could talk to her. I’m sure she misses me.”</p><p>“Eat shit, Tozier.” He responds before pressing a kiss to Richie’s jaw, immediately contradicting his harsh tone. Before Richie could keep him for any longer, he steps away to help his friends in the kitchen.</p><p>Richie finds Stan in the hallway, fidgeting with his duffel bag. He notices his tense body language, Stan’s shoulder’s tight with stress. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>Stan jumps slightly, “Fuck, you scared me. Nothing is wrong.”</p><p>Richie sits down next to him, his back pressed against the wall, knowing that something is definitely wrong. “Seriously, Stan? I can tell when you’re lying to me by now.”</p><p>He sighs and pushes his bag aside, lifting his head to talk to Richie, “Its just,” he pauses before continuing, “when that raccoon or fox or whatever it was jumped out into the road, I didn’t know if it was <i>real,</i> you know?”</p><p>Richie immediately knows what he’s talking about and places a gentle hand on Stan’s arm, “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry I wasn’t awake. I know it was probably scary for everyone.”</p><p>Stan’s voice shakes as he responds and Richie is filled with sympathy, “I was scared shitless, I thought it was some delusion caused by It, even though we were out of Derry, and then I thought that we were all screwed because that entire thing isn’t confined to that goddamn town, and then I wasn’t sure what the hell Bill was going to do, like if he was going to hit the brakes, or,”</p><p>He cuts him off, “Stanley, listen to me. It’s okay. Bill dealt with it and didn’t injure anyone, everyone is okay, and it was real. It was a real animal and a real accident which happens to a lot of people. This wasn’t It.” 

He waits for a response but doesn’t receive one. He stays next to his friend anyways, intent on comforting him.</p><p>“That summer was the worst thing to ever happen to me, Richie.” He finally says.</p><p>“I’m sorry. I wish you didn’t have to go through that.” Richie answers, deciding not to directly reference Stan’s traumatic experience when he was alone in the sewers. “I know everything is terrifying now. And it’s hard to act like a normal person after all of that, but it’s going to get better, and that fucking clown is never going to come back.” He also decides not to even consider the fact that he might be lying, and that It might come back.</p><p>Stan wipes a stray tear from his eye and stands abruptly, “Yeah. I hope so. Thank you.”</p><p>Richie joins him and offers a sad smile to his friend before hugging him tightly. “Seriously, I’ll always be here for you. No one is going to abandon you.” He adds quietly, in an attempt to soothe Stan’s fears.</p><p>“I’m going to take a shower. I’ll see you after.” Stan says, taking his bag with him to the washroom. </p><p>Richie’s resolve collapses as soon as Stan shuts the door and he grabs the pack of cigarettes from his jacket before rushing out the front door. He bites back tears as he takes a quick inhale of smoke. 

He feels like shit because of what Stan went through and what he’s currently going through. That fucking summer has left all of them completely traumatized and practically unable to deal with real-life problems and situations. Here they are over four hundred miles from Derry, yet they still can’t escape.

Richie hears the door open and shut behind him and he attempts to compose himself. Clearly he fails as he feels Eddie wrap himself around Richie’s back, his hands meeting Richie’s free one at his waist. “What happened?” Eddie asks, his words slightly muffled by the fabric of Richie’s shirt.</p><p>Richie stubs his cigarette and turns, facing Eddie, “Just thinking about everything. Stan had a few thoughts about, you know, and I was trying to help him out but I don’t think I really did anything.”</p><p>“Trust me, you do so much for all of us everyday. Your stupid jokes keep us distracted and smiling. We all have bad moments and bad days where we just remember too much, but we all help each other through it.” Eddie places a gentle hand on Richie’s cheek as he speaks, rubbing once. <i>RichieandEddie</i>. </p><p>Richie eases into Eddie’s touch and he smiles gratefully, “I love you.”</p><p>“I love you.” </p><p>They kiss languidly at the top of the steps without fear, feeling the significant lack of prejudice in the city in comparison to their shitty hometown. They separate as Mike opens the door slightly and calls them in to eat, apologizing for interrupting. Richie presses a kiss to Eddie’s forehead before taking his hand and leading him inside.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Richie attempted to convince Eddie to dress as a ‘hot mom’ so he could dress up as a pizza delivery guy and they could be a cliche porno together. Eddie said, “Are you a fucking idiot?” and refused to kiss him for two days straight. Richie almost died.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They spend their first day in New York City acting like proper tourists, visiting popular locations and eating “the best pizza in the entire world,” as Ben says. Richie makes it his mission to take as many pictures of his friends as possible. His personal favourite is one of Beverly throwing a peace sign in the middle of a crosswalk as Bill lifts her up from behind with a huge smile on his face. 

He finds moments throughout the day to pull Eddie aside so they can be <i>RichieandEddie</i> and he kisses him like they’re the only two people in the world. 

The group settles down in Central Park, watching the leaves fall from trees as they fall into easy conversation. Richie finds himself imagining what life would be like if he attends New York University, and if his friends would be with him. He silently decides to add NYU to the group of colleges he has to apply to before the end of November. </p><p>Richie catches Stan and Bill acting painfully romantic, as Bill lays on the ground, resting on his elbows, with a hand in his boyfriend’s hair as he sits next to him, carefully placing blades of grass on Bill’s chest with a smile on his face, and takes a quick picture of them. Stan rolls his eyes but doesn’t comment and Bill merely blushes.</p><p>“So what’s the plan for tomorrow night?” Eddie asks.</p><p>“I was thinking we could just go from bar-to-bar until we found ourselves an invitation to a party.” Beverly suggests.</p><p>Richie grins, “Sounds great.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll be able to find a few suckers who are desperate enough to invite us.” Ben replies, letting out a laugh. </p><p>-</p><p>On Halloween night, they obviously don’t find a few suckers who are desperate enough to invite them to a party. But they do go bar-hopping. As soon as the sun had set, the group left the brownstone in their Halloween costumes. Beverly was dressed as Velma from Scooby Doo with Mike accompanying her as Shaggy.

Bill and Stan coordinated as Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, which was kind of genius in Richie’s opinion. Ben crafted himself an intricate costume as Beetlejuice which left the Losers in shock. 

Last week, Richie attempted to convince Eddie to dress as a ‘hot mom’ so he could dress up as a pizza delivery guy and they could be a cliche porno together. Eddie said, “Are you a fucking idiot?” and refused to kiss him for two days straight. Richie almost died. Ultimately, the pair planned separate costumes. Richie decided on a classic vampire, paired with a shitty Transylvanian accent, and Eddie dressed up as a doctor. </p><p>“That’s close enough to a porno character to me.” Richie had said, pulling Eddie close by his lab coat.</p><p>Eddie scoffed in response, “Shut up, Richie.” </p><p>Four hours later Richie had a fake stethoscope around his neck and Eddie was practically covered in the fake blood Richie had used to ‘perfect’ his vampire costume. 

The Losers Club stumbles through the bright Manhattan streets, opting for some fresh air before tracking down their next bar. Oddly, there weren’t too many people on the street and their group was able to comfortably walk alongside each other. “I-I’m just saying, Velma and Daphne definitely hooked up,” Mike slurs.</p><p>“Well then, where the fuck is my Daphne?” Beverly replies and receives hysterical laughter as soon as she finishes her sentence.</p><p>“Shit, I don’t have my blonde wig with me right now, but could you pretend?” Richie jokes, stepping in front of Bev.</p><p>A chorus of “beep-beep, Richie,” fills the air around them and he grins before stepping aside.

 Unexpectedly, Bill throws up, barely managing to tuck himself into an alley before doubling over. Stan and Ben are immediately at his side, rubbing his back and pushing his hair off his face. 

Beverly attempts to approach them but she nearly gags at the sound of Bill vomiting, so she invites the rest of them to join her at the bodega across the street to get their sick friend some water. </p><p>They feign sobriety as much as they can as they enter the shop and the four of them head in different directions. After purchasing a bag of potato chips and two bottles of water, Richie steps out and finds Eddie leaning against the brick wall next to him. </p><p>“You come here often?” Richie drawls in one of his Voices, approaching Eddie.</p><p>“What happened to the terrible Dracula voice?” Eddie teases, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and letting Richie crowd his space.</p><p>“It wasn’t sexy enough,” he responds, holding back a laugh. He places the plastic bag containing his snacks on the pavement before gripping Eddie’s waist.</p><p>Eddie speaks with a mischievous hint in his tone, “I beg to differ.” </p><p>“Yeah?” Is all Richie can come up with, his social skills are practically nonexistent as the smell of Eddie’s cologne mixed with the heavy scent of alcohol clouds his mind. </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Richie envelops Eddie’s mouth with his own right after he speaks, unable to hold back his desire any longer. The kiss is messy and hot, and Richie wishes they weren’t standing in the middle of the street right now as he shifts his knee between Eddie’s legs. Eddie moans into his mouth and rakes a hand through Richie’s hair before pulling away just to say, “Want you so bad.”</p><p>“Fuck, you’re so hot.” Richie whispers before kissing him again. He licks into Eddie’s mouth as Eddie rubs him through the material of his dark jeans, and Richie decides that the thought of coming in his pants isn’t as terrible as he had previously thought. </p><p>Eddie tips his head back and Richie immediately attaches his lips to Eddie’s neck, eager to add to the growing amount of love marks he’d been giving his boyfriend all night.

Richie chuckles and his breath brushes Eddie’s warm skin as he pictures the two of them in his head, “I look like a real vampire right now.” He explains to Eddie, catching his gaze.</p><p>“You are literally insane.” Eddie replies before connecting their mouths. He continues to work Richie up to the point where he considers calling a cab and leaving their friends, before deciding how shitty that is considering the fact that Bill is sick right now and everyone would be worried about them. After this deliberation,

Richie decides that while he’s above ditching his friends, he isn’t above giving his boyfriend a blowjob in a dark alley on Halloween night, <i>EddieEddieEddie</i> clouding all rational thought. He pulls away and grabs Eddie’s wrist, tugging him into said alley. As he fumbles with Eddie’s belt and begins to fall to his knees, a hand pulls him up. </p><p>“There is no fucking way I am going to let you blow me in some sketchy ass alley. First of all, you could literally kneel right into a heroin needle or some shit or a fucking lunatic could come and murder us as soon as you get my dick in your mouth.” Eddie rants, yet his arousal is clear on his flushed face and blown-out pupils.</p><p>Richie presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth before responding, “So the chance of being murdered doesn’t turn you on?”</p><p>“Unfortunately for you, no, it doesn’t. We just need to keep our dicks in our pants until we get back to the apartment, okay?”</p><p>He nods, “Yeah, yeah. Try not to look so good for the rest of the night, then?”</p><p>Eddie shoves him gently, “That’s impossible, Tozier.”</p><p>They walk back on to the sidewalk, collecting Richie’s bag before joining their friends on the other side of the street. </p><p>“Nice to see that you two had a good time while I was puking my guts out.” Bill says with a smile on his face.</p><p>Eddie shrugs sheepishly as Richie hands Bill the bag of chips he bought, “Whatever. Eat these.”</p><p>They continue to walk after Bill decides that he feels significantly better and he’s ready to drink his entire weight in overpriced alcohol. After a few minutes, they find a crowded bar with a small dance floor to call home for the next hour or two. Richie immediately snags them a table with a few chairs in the centre of the room. Beverly leans on to the bar-top and flirts with the bartender, successfully getting their group some discounted drinks and Stan helps her carry the tray to the table.</p><p>“What an ass. Who gives some random girl a bunch of drinks for this cheap?” She says, throwing back a shot right after.</p><p>“Misogynistic idiots do.”</p><p>Richie sips on his drink casually, intent on hanging on to his sobriety in anticipation of when he gets back home with Eddie. 

He notices that his boyfriend also isn’t focused on drinking anymore, and has diverted his energy into forcing Stan and Mike to dance with him. Ben occupies himself with a pretty girl he found at the bar and Richie gives him an enthusiastic thumbs-up from his seat. </p><p>Bill remains a constant at Richie’s side, offering a never-ending conversation. After wrapping up his rant about how his favourite movie, Dead Poets Society, is underrated, he glances at Stanley on the dance floor before speaking, “Stan gets really jealous sometimes. He never tells me, but I know he does.”</p><p>Richie raises his eyebrows, “Really?” He wasn’t expecting trouble in paradise.</p><p>“Yeah. Especially when it comes to Bev.” Now this statement really shocks Richie, his eyes going wide. He thought he knew everything about Stanley, but he definitely didn’t know about this.</p><p>Before Richie can offer a response, Bill continues, “It’s just that, he knows she was my first love. Everyone knows that. And obviously I still love her, she’s my best friend. But Stan gets worried about it sometimes, thinks that I’m going to leave him for her, that he’s not enough.”</p><p>Richie makes a mental note to talk to Stan about this once they get back to Derry, because this has the potential to completely ruin their friend group. He also wants to reassure him and eliminate this shitty element of insecurity. “Why don’t you talk to him about it?”</p><p>“I tried, and he just brushes me off, insists that he doesn’t care about any of that stuff. But whenever I get close to her or something like that, I can literally feel how tense he gets. I don’t want my history with Bev to ruin friendships or relationships. I don’t know what to do at this point.” </p><p>Richie wishes he knew the exact answer to Bill’s problem but this was really complex, and while he’s been taking it slow for the last half an hour, he was still drinking all night before this. 

He manages to form a rather shitty response, “Just talk to him, and don’t let him brush it off. This sucks for a lot of people and you guys deserve to be happy.”</p><p>Bill gives him a sad smile, “Thanks, Rich. I’ll talk to him soon.”</p><p>“It’ll be okay.” Richie states.</p><p>Their conversation swings in the opposite direction, abandoning this somber trail of thoughts as Bev staggers up to the table with the rest of the Losers behind her. “Let’s go! Time for shots!” She yells, shoving an overflowing glass into everyone’s hand. </p><p>“To the Losers Club!” Eddie toasts and everyone clinks their cups together before drinking. At this point of the night, the vodka goes down smooth and Richie is eternally grateful. </p><p>They share a few more drinks and a few more dances, the current one driving Richie and Eddie to near insanity. Eddie throws his head back against Richie’s shoulder as he grinds against the taller boy, and Richie presses fervent kisses to whatever skin Eddie has exposed. “We’re going home. Now.” Richie manages to separate himself from Eddie, only to clasp their hands together and pull him towards their table of friends. He takes the house keys from Beverly’s purse.</p><p>“Eddie and I are going back to the brownstone, see you guys later.” He chokes out, Eddie pressing a kiss to the back of his neck as he speaks. </p><p>As they head towards the exit, Bev calls out to them, “You can take the bedroom!”</p><p>Eddie giggles and pushes Richie out the door, hailing a taxi quickly and dragging him into the backseat, giving directions to the driver. Richie’s eye captures a small ‘PRIDE’ sticker on the back of the driver’s seat and he feels a sense of safety, prompting him to crawl into Eddie’s lap, whispering reassurances in his ear before connecting their lips. 

They attempt to stay as respectful as they can, keeping their hands above the waist for the entirety of the cab ride. After what feels like an eternity, they finally arrive at the apartment and Richie unlocks the front door quickly.</p><p>They barely separate on the way to the bedroom, their lips disconnecting only as Richie grabs the lube and condoms within his bag. “Planning on getting lucky?” Eddie questions and Richie answers him a kiss. </p><p>Once they reach the bedroom, Richie sits at the edge of the bed and Eddie stands between his knees, one hand in his hair and the other on the side of his neck. They discard their tops easily, crawling back on to the bed afterwards, and Eddie leaves a trail of kisses down Richie’s chest. His hand brushes the hem of his jeans and Richie groans, “Please,”</p><p>He unbuttons Richie’s pants and pulls them down with ease, wrapping a hand around his cock, and Richie gasps into his neck. Eddie pushes Richie against the headboard and fits himself between his thighs, surprising Richie as he lowers his head and replaces his hand with his mouth. </p><p>“Eds, Eddie, I can’t,” Richie struggles to say and Eddie’s mouth pops off of him.</p><p>“What is it?” Eddie asks.</p><p>“I swear I won’t last if you blow me, and I want to fuck you.”</p><p>Eddie sits up, “Real romantic, Rich.”</p><p>Richie smiles and beckons Eddie over, taking his pants off and flipping them over so Eddie’s back was against the bed. He kisses him softly, slowing down their previously rushed actions, barely paying any attention to Eddie’s tongue. 

He drifts his hand down Eddie’s body and it settles on the underside of his thigh, causing Eddie to shiver. “I want you, too. C’mon,” he spreads his legs slightly and pushes the lube into Richie’s free hand. </p><p>Richie thinks he’s never been this careful with anything in his entire life. He opens Eddie up, his actions gentle and precise. He focuses on every single noise Eddie makes and studies his face, ensuring that he doesn’t hurt him. “I’m not going to break, Richie.” Eddie offers, grazing his thumb along Richie’s cheek. </p><p>He slips a third finger inside of him and adjusts his wrist, changing the angle slightly, and Eddie’s grip on his shoulder tightens.

He builds up a rhythm and doesn’t stop until Eddie is begging for more, and Richie rolls a condom on and adds some extra lube for good measure. He pushes into Eddie slowly, unable to bite back a moan once he bottoms out. 

He locks eyes with Eddie and kisses him some more, waiting for him. After a few moments, he nods, “Okay, okay, move.”</p><p>He carefully shifts and begins to move, his hands gripping Eddie’s hips hard enough to bruise. After a few thrusts, Eddie whines, “Feels so good,” </p><p>With Eddie’s reassurance, Richie picks up his pace and allows some of his fear to slip away. Eddie feels amazing around him and after the constant teasing all night, he’s not sure how long he’ll be able to last. He leans further down and leaves marks along Eddie’s collarbone, his tongue collecting the sweat which gathered there. Eddie tangles a hand in his hair and pulls gently, and Richie swears against his skin, “Fuck, Eds.”</p><p>He pulls away and lifts Eddie slightly, causing the angle to shift and when Richie thrusts into him this time, Eddie’s hips buck. “Please, please,” Eddie begs, chasing that feeling.</p><p>“I got you,” Richie speaks, repeating his actions and wrapping a hand around Eddie’s dick, pushing him closer to the edge. Eddie squirms and moves his hands constantly, switching between Richie’s hair, to his arms, to the bedsheets, to the headboard, until Richie leans forward and presses his lips to his jaw before saying, “Come for me, Eds,” and his orgasm nearly causes him to black out. 

Richie guides him through it before thrusting a few more times and also coming, his brain screaming <i>EddieEddieEddie.</i> He allows himself a few moments to recover before pulling out and throwing away the condom, grabbing a tissue on his way back to the bed and cleaning Eddie up while the other boy watches him with soft eyes. </p><p>Once they’re both clean, and Richie takes his contacts out, he collapses next to Eddie, pulling the covers over them. “Hi,” he says.</p><p>Eddie caresses his cheek, “Hi.”</p><p>“I fucking love New York.” Richie says and they both laugh.</p><p>Eddie agrees, “Me too. And you. I love you.”</p><p>“I love you, too.” Richie says contently, placing his hand on Eddie’s chest and drawing little shapes. “Want to move here with me?” He adds.</p><p>A wave of surprise washes over Eddie’s face before he responds, “You’re going to apply to NYU?”</p><p>“Yeah. I thought I was more of a west coast kid but I changed my mind.”</p><p>“Fuck yeah, I’ll move to New York City with you. I’d move anywhere with you, if you asked, Richie.” Eddie says, joy filling his voice.</p><p>Richie gives him a chaste kiss, feeling Eddie’s smile against his lips. “We’re going to be the hottest couple at that damn college.”</p><p>“Okay, Big Dick Tozier, bring that ego down a notch.”</p><p>Richie rolls his eyes playfully, “I just made you come so hard you were literally speechless for ten minutes. This ego is staying high.”</p><p>Eddie feigns offence, “Don’t speak of me so crudely.”</p><p>Richie takes this as a challenge and speaks in a high-pitched, breathy tone, imitating Eddie, “Richie, Richie, please, fuck,” Eddie claps a hand over his mouth to stop him.</p><p>“Fuck you. Savour that memory, dick, because you are never going to have sex with me ever again.” He says, removing his hand from Richie’s mouth after he grossly licks his palm. </p><p>“How about eating you out?” Richie responds, not missing a beat.</p><p>Eddie’s facade disappears and he literally twitches at the thought of it. “You are the bane of my existence, Richie Tozier.” </p><p>“As you are mine, Eddie Kaspbrak.” He leans over and grabs his camera, which he had grabbed from the living room after taking out his contacts, and snaps a picture of Eddie as he smiles at him warmly.</p><p>“Not fair, give it to me.” Eddie reaches out and takes the camera, snapping a picture right after he says, “Smile, Trashmouth.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He feels so overwhelmed with love during moments like these, when Eddie is washing his hair, or when Eddie kisses his forehead before leaving for work or class in the morning and Richie sleepily mumbles an “i love you,” or when they’re just sitting on the couch having dinner together and they’re <i>RichieandEddie</i>.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>July 1994</i>
</p><p>Richie collapses on to the bed, exhausted from his day at work. He was lucky enough to get a job with a mediocre radio station just two months into freshman year, which was way better than his previous job as a barista at a coffee shop in the middle of the NYU campus. Eddie worked at the MET as a tour guide, which was an entirely different form of a godsend. They were both eternally grateful that they had stable jobs and were able to afford the rent for their studio apartment, along with their tuition.</p><p>The landline rang loudly, shaking Richie from his thoughts, and he groans before crawling out of bed. He picks up the phone, “Richie Tozier here, how can I help you?”</p><p>He pulls the phone away from his ear as he hears a shriek before he recognizes Beverly’s voice, “Get the pullout couch ready because I am literally about to catch a flight to New York!”</p><p>A grin splits across Richie’s face, “Are you fucking serious? Is Bill coming too?”</p><p>“No, he left yesterday for Chicago. I scheduled some time off but he just completely left without even calling his boss! Can you believe it?” </p><p>Richie is shocked at this, considering the fact that Stanley is in Chicago and the pair had broken up just before graduation a year ago. It wasn’t easy for everyone to leave Stan behind, as he’s a year younger than the rest of them, but at least he had Mike. Richie figured their relationship was over once Bill moved to Seattle with Bev, just as friends. </p><p>“Oh, that’s definitely interesting. I can’t wait to call Stan after this. What time are you going to be here?” </p><p>He hears some papers rustling in the background and assumes Bev is checking her plane ticket, “I’ll be at JFK at around three in the morning. I can take the bus to yours but you guys better be awake.”</p><p>“Yeah, of course. We’ll be waiting. Eddie is going to lose his shit.” Richie responds, already thinking about Eddie’s excitement. They haven’t seen Bev since they spent Christmas in Seattle, and she wasn’t able to make it to Stan’s graduation last month.</p><p>The boarding call filters through the phone before Bev speaks, “Okay, I have to go. See you soon, babe.” </p><p>“I’ll be here.” Richie hangs up the call and promptly dials Stan’s number, yet receives no answer. That little asshole, he thinks, and makes a mental note to call him again in the morning. He cleans up the apartment a bit, doing the dishes and sweeping. He also prepares the linen for Bev and makes some room for her things in the bathroom. He hears Eddie enter their home as he’s ordering a pizza. </p><p>He drops a kiss on Eddie’s cheek, prompting a confused glance from him, “What was that for?”</p><p>“Just happy.” Richie answers, struggling to contain the news of Bev’s visit, but he figures he’ll drag it out for a bit longer.</p><p>Eddie smiles, “You are such a loser.” And he leans up, catching Richie’s lips in his and exploring his mouth slowly. </p><p>“Guess what?” Richie says once they separate.</p><p>Eddie raises his eyebrows, “What?”</p><p>“Bill is in Chicago visiting Stan right now.”</p><p>Eddie gasps and pushes Richie’s chest lightly, “No fucking way! Are you serious? Is anyone else there? Oh my god, is Bev there?!” He places an emphasis on Beverly’s nickname.</p><p>“Nope. They’re completely alone. And our dear Beverly is actually en route to somewhere else.”</p><p>Eddie speaks, “Oh, is she visiting Mike? Well, Ben is actually,” his sentence fades away as he eyes the sheets, blanket, and pillow sitting on the chair across from him. “She’s coming here?” He practically screams, and Richie wraps his arms around him and laughs into his hair. </p><p>“Yes! She’ll be here around four in the morning.” </p><p>“I can’t wait. Oh! We have to take her to that ramen place you found! She would love it.” He pulls away from Richie slightly but grabs his hand delicately, “I have to shower. Want to come?”</p><p>Richie taps his chin with his index finger before speaking in a serious tone, “Actually, I think my schedule is full. Lots of moms to visit, you know?”</p><p>Eddie scoffs before dropping his hand and he walks over to the bathroom. Richie hears his clothing hit the floor and the sound of the shower curtain closing. “Last call, Tozier,” and that’s all it takes for Richie to drop the joke and follow him, shutting the door as soon as he steps into the room. 

He strips his clothes with ease and steps into the shower carefully. Eddie stands with his back to him, letting the water stream down his chest. He turns and eyes Richie before moving a little so the water can rinse both of them.</p><p>“Last minute schedule change. I’m free, now.” Richie says with a smile on his face. </p><p>Eddie leans forward and kisses him softly, and neither of them make a move to heat things up. They wash themselves slowly, as if they have all the time in the world. The smell of vanilla body wash quickly fills the room, as does the steam from the hot water. They switch spots and Richie bends down a little. 

“Wash my hair?” he asks.</p><p>Eddie hums, which sounds like a yes, before adding some shampoo to his hands and to Richie’s head. He scrubs gently, his fingernails slightly scratching his scalp and Richie tries to make sure his knees don’t buckle.

While they have gotten much more intimate since they’ve moved to New York together, Richie still struggles with certain elements of domesticity an entire year later. He feels so overwhelmed with love during moments like these, when Eddie is washing his hair, or when Eddie kisses his forehead before leaving for work or class in the morning and Richie sleepily mumbles an “i love you,” or when they’re just sitting on the couch having dinner together and they’re <i>RichieandEddie</i> and Richie just can’t believe that they’re a fucking couple living together, far away from Derry.</p><p>Eddie tilts his head slightly and rinses the shampoo out, running his fingers through his hair. He presses his lips to the freckles on Richie’s shoulder when he’s done. “Thank you,” Richie says, his voice barely above a whisper. He’s almost fighting back tears. </p><p>Eddie washes his own hair quickly and Richie merely watches him. Once the water starts to run cold and Eddie shivers they step out of the shower, Richie passing him a towel before slipping his glasses on. After drying themselves off Richie wraps his arms around Eddie’s shoulders and pulls him close, hugging him tightly. Eddie’s words are muffled as he speaks hesitantly against Richie’s shoulder, “You okay?”</p><p>Richie nods, “Yeah. Just sentimental and happy. So happy to be here with you.”</p><p>“Me too. Never thought we would be living together in New York, and that it would be this easy.”</p><p>“We could be living in some shitty apocalyptic world and I wouldn’t care as long as you were there with me.” Richie responds, feeling entirely too vulnerable and possibly pathetic right now.</p><p>Eddie pulls away a little so he can look at him while he talks, “I am so fucking in love with you.”</p><p>Richie doesn’t offer him a response but rather leans down and kisses him lovingly, hoping his actions can convey his whirlwind of thoughts. “Bev is definitely going to regret coming to visit us,” he jokes once they separate and step out of the bathroom. </p><p>“Oh, yeah. One-hundred percent.” Eddie answers, pulling on some comfortable clothing before crashing on to the bed, tucking himself under the blanket.</p><p>Richie settles on a classic pair of joggers and a white t-shirt, feeling Eddie’s gaze burn into him as he dresses. “I think we should take a nap before Bev gets here.” Eddie says, patting the empty space on the bed next to him.</p><p>He sits down on the bed, and glances down at him, “You sleep. I’m going to stay awake, the pizza should be here soon.” </p><p>Richie grabs a book from the cluttered bedside table, almost knocking over an entire stack of papers consisting of bills, school stuff, and god knows what else. He reads silently as Eddie drifts off to sleep beside him, occasionally turning or shifting closer to Richie. 

He climbs out of bed carefully as he hears footsteps outside their apartment and opens the door before the delivery man has the chance to knock. “Thanks man,” he says quietly before handing him some bills from his wallet, taking the bright red boxes, and closing the door. 

The pizza boxes are warm in his hands and he sets them down on the counter before grabbing a slice of vegetarian for himself, leaving the pepperoni untouched for Beverly. </p><p>It’s around midnight now and Richie doesn’t really have anything to do for the next few hours, so he settles in next to Eddie and brainstorms for a while on some ideas for work. He goes through some jokes, some informational sessions, and even a film recommendation or two before his eyes start getting heavy. 

He spares a look at the clock on Eddie’s nightstand and sees that Bev should be here in about two hours. He decides that a nap won’t kill him.</p><p>Richie wakes to the sound of Beverly’s voice drifting across the room from where she stands at the entrance, hugging Eddie and apologizing for the late flight. Eddie holds her tightly, brushing off her apology and insisting that she’s always welcome, no matter the time. Richie is out of bed in moments and is suddenly sweeping Beverly into his arms, spinning her around. “Fuck, it’s good to see you,” he says once he puts her back down. Her hair flows past her shoulders and her face has matured, the lack of baby fat emphasizing her facial structure. </p><p>“It’s good to see you! I can’t believe you guys have been living here for a year now and this is my first time visiting.” Eddie takes her luggage and places it against the wall as she’s speaking, and the three of them walk further into the home, gathering in the kitchen.</p><p>They stay up for the next hour, eating pizza and chatting about numerous things like Bev’s internship at a fashion institute in Seattle, Richie’s hair, and the latest gossip in Derry which they’ve all heard from Mike in the last week. Bev stifles a yawn and they decide on turning in, Richie and Eddie promising that they’ll go out tomorrow afternoon and prove to her that they’re basically native New Yorkers now and no longer tourists.</p><p>Despite the lack of walls in their studio apartment, there is still an element of privacy thanks to the room divider Eddie found at a thrift shop, which separates the living room and their sleeping area. “Goodnight, boys,” Bev says before pressing a kiss to both of their cheeks. Richie hears her snoring just ten minutes later. </p><p>-</p><p>They spend the next day running around the city and eating at many, many, different restaurants after Richie insists that Bev has to absolutely try everything. ‘Everything’ includes breakfast bagels, cheeseburgers, ramen, sushi, pastries, and lastly, ice cream. Eddie gave up after ramen.</p><p>The sky is dark as they return to the apartment, Bev and Eddie collapsing on to the couch. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much in my entire life,” she says, resting her head on Eddie’s shoulder.</p><p>The landline rings before Richie has the chance to join them and he picks it up, “Richie and Eddie’s pimp palace, how may we help you?” which prompts a glare from Eddie. </p><p>“Hi, Richie. You called yesterday?” Richie grins at the sound of Stan’s voice, mouthing ‘it’s Stan’ to Bev and Eddie from across the room.</p><p>“Indeed I did, Stan-the-man. I’ve received news that you have a guest down in the Windy City. Is he still there?” He says, aiming for humour but ultimately considering Stan’s feelings.</p><p>Stan responds, “I’m going to assume that Bev told you? And yes, he’s still,” he pauses and Richie hears a laugh from someone else and an odd noise from Stan. It takes him a minute to register what’s going on.</p><p>Richie gasps and nearly drops the phone, “Is Bill blowing you right now, or something? Ew! I know we’re best friends, Stan, but this is a new level of weird.” Beverly and Eddie share a look and begin laughing, both of them nearly falling off the sofa.</p><p>He immediately protests, “God, no! No, I swear he’s not doing that. Here, talk to him.” Richie hears some shuffling on the other end before Bill speaks, “Hey, Rich.”</p><p>“You guys seriously better not be getting each other off while I’m on the phone. I will never forgive either of you.”</p><p>Bill chuckles and Richie feels a pang of sadness run through his body, realizing that he misses Bill much more than he would’ve previously admitted. “Just a kiss or two, don’t worry. Nothing worse than what you and Eddie have done in front of us. How’s the Big Apple?”</p><p>“A kiss, hm? Does that mean you’re trying things out again? Or was this just a sexy weekend escape? Maybe some flavoured lube is involved?” Richie asks, ignoring his question.</p><p>“Beep-beep, asshole. We’re figuring things out. Stan doesn’t make anything easy, as you know. Ow!” Bill says, and Richie just knows that Stan hit him on the arm for that comment.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. Be careful, idiots. I think we all have to congregate in California sometime soon, I need to witness this reunion with my own eyes and we might as well visit Ben.” </p><p>Excitement is laced in Bill’s voice, “I’ll talk to him. You call Mike. We’ll get it done before school starts up again.” </p><p>Richie leans against the wall and presses the phone to his cheek, “Alright, well, I’ll let you go. Have fun in Chicago and call me when you get back home.”</p><p>“Of course. Tell Eddie I say hi.”</p><p>“Bill, wait!” Richie says, hoping his friend will hear him before hanging up, and a hum from Bill lets him know that he did. “Seriously, don’t fuck things up with Stan again. I can’t handle another breakup between you two and I doubt you can either.”</p><p>“I’m going to try, Richie. And so is he. I promise I’ll keep you updated.”</p><p>Richie sighs, not exactly satisfied with his answer but deciding to drop the topic, “Okay. Bye, loser.”</p><p>“Bye,” and another “Bye, Trashmouth!” from Stanley, and Richie hangs up the phone with a smile on his face.</p><p>Eddie looks at him expectantly, “So? They’re back together?” He walks over and sits on the arm of the couch, pulling Eddie into his chest.</p><p>“Yeah, they are. I hope it fucking lasts.” </p><p>Bev nods, “Me too. The long distance thing won’t be easy, though.”</p><p>Eddie places a hand on Richie’s forearm, which is resting near his collarbone, and shrugs, “I think they’ll figure it out. They obviously love each other, and Bill wouldn’t go all the way to Chicago if he wasn’t committed.” </p><p>Richie snorts, “And Stan wouldn’t let him in if he wasn’t, either.”</p><p>Bev stands, stretching her arms before speaking, “I’m going to shower. Towels are under the sink, right?”</p><p>Eddie nods, “Yeah, help yourself.”</p><p>Richie moves, pushing Eddie out of his arms gently, turning the television on and laying down on the couch, resting his head on a pillow, and Eddie fits between his legs, his head on his boyfriend’s chest. “Hey, Rich?” Eddie says after a few minutes.</p><p>“Yeah?” He responds, taking his eyes off the screen and looking at him.</p><p>“Do you think we would survive long distance?”</p><p>Richie considers his question for a moment before answering, “No,” and Eddie looks shocked, but he continues, “I would go crazy if I couldn’t touch you everyday. Or see you after a rough day of work, or bring you a coffee after class.”</p><p>“I don’t know if I should be mad or happy about that answer.” Eddie says before raising his head and pressing his lips to Richie’s.</p><p>Richie mumbles something into his mouth, but it’s lost immediately and he can’t even remember what it was as Eddie deepens the kiss, pushing him into the cushions. They remain like that for a few moments, Richie leaning forward and chasing Eddie’s tongue with his own as one of his free hands slip under his shirt, caressing the warm skin at his waist. </p><p>Richie gets hard embarrassingly fast, and his situation doesn’t improve when Eddie moves down and makes quick work of unbuttoning his jeans and pushing them, along with his briefs, down to his knees. He barely manages to suppress a moan as Eddie gets a hand around him, moving his hand painfully slow, teasing Richie until he’s begging and practically shaking. “Eds, please,”</p><p>Eddie looks up at him through his eyelashes and he just looks so good and Richie feels like he could die right now. “Tell me what you want, baby,” he says, dropping his lips to Richie’s hip and leaving a trail of kisses.</p><p>Richie struggles to find the words before he manages, “Want your mouth, so bad.”</p><p>Eddie glances at the bathroom door and makes sure that he can still hear the water running before he gets his mouth around Richie, using a hand on his thigh to keep him steady. </p><p>He watches him, unable to pull his eyes away as Eddie bobs his head up and down, his hot mouth driving him insane. He has one hand gripping the side of the couch and the other tangled in Eddie’s hair, encouraging him. Whispers of Eddie’s name and different variations of praise leave his mouth as a moan constantly threatens to escape. </p><p>Eddie hollows his cheeks and pushes his head to the base of Richie’s cock, gagging and prompting his eyes to get watery. He hears Richie’s profanities above him, always accompanied with an occasional “i love you,” and he only pulls away once he hears Richie say, “Eds, I can’t, going to come,” with his hand slipping out of his hair and moving to his shoulder to push him up, and Eddie replaces his mouth with his hand, jerking him off and pulling Richie up by his shirt and seizing his lips. 

Just a few seconds later Richie’s dick twitches in his hands in between their bodies and he swallows his moans with a hand on the back of his neck to keep them pressed together. </p><p>Richie crumbles into his chest, his head on Eddie’s shoulder as he breathes heavily, “That was risky.” Eddie grabs a tissue from the box on the coffee table and wipes his hand clean before responding, “We’ve hooked up in riskier situations.” He throws the tissue out in the bin in the kitchen before returning to the living room.</p><p>Richie stands and pulls his pants back up, “My god, I’ve completely corrupted you! What happened to the sweet, innocent, Eddie Kaspbrak I used to know? What have you done with him?”</p><p>Eddie rolls his eyes, “He died a few years back. Somewhere around the time where you grew a few feet and stopped cutting your hair.”</p><p>Richie threads their fingers together and pulls him off the couch, walking backwards until they hit the bed. “So you only want me for my looks? I’m offended, Spaghetti, truly offended.”</p><p>“Well, I’m definitely not here for your jokes.”</p><p>He gasps and pushes Eddie away from him, just for the other to immediately return. “Your mom loves my jokes. She told me so right after I fucked-”</p><p>“Shut up. You’re literally proving my point right now.” Eddie says, yawning right after. </p><p>“Tired?” Richie asks.</p><p>Eddie grins in anticipation of his remark, “Of you.”</p><p>Richie rolls his eyes, “Ha. Ha. So funny. Too bad you’re stuck with me forever. Don’t forget we know all about each other’s killer clown trauma.”</p><p>“Damn. I’ve actually recovered from that, sorry to break it to you.”</p><p>Richie laughs, “Really? Got any tips for me?”</p><p>“Yeah. Date your best friend until he drives you literally insane and forces your brain to only think about him.” He says, throwing a pillow at Richie’s head. </p><p>Richie pauses and begins to mumble, acting like he’s calculating something. He frowns, “See, I’ve had that part down since I was like, thirteen, but,” and Eddie cuts him off with a gentle kiss, ending their casual insults and letting Richie know that he’s felt the same way for just as long.</p>
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